FIND JERUSALEM & ISRAEL
IN NEW YORK
A CURATED LIST
You do not have to leave New York to find pieces of Israel. You just have to know where to look.
Jerusalem stone. Ancient Jewish artifacts from the Galilee. Israeli art. Architecture. Food. Gifts that traveled thousands of miles from Israel to New York.
Some are easy to spot. Others are hiding inside buildings or on streets you may have walked a hundred times without knowing their stories.
Here are a few of my favorites.
1. AN ANCIENT PIECE OF THE GALILEE - UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS
46th Street & First Avenue, Midtown East, Manhattan
Visitor Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM
Hidden inside the United Nations is an extraordinary piece of ancient Jewish history.
In 1999, Israel presented the United Nations with an ancient stone lintel from a synagogue at Kafr Yasif in the Western Galilee, dating to approximately the fourth or fifth century.
Carved into the stone are ancient Jewish symbols, including a seven-branched menorah, lulav and shofar.
This is not a reproduction.
It is an actual piece of an ancient synagogue from Israel, now sitting in Manhattan.
LOOK FOR: The carved menorah.
The United Nations lists the artifact on the second floor of the Conference Building. Because visitor schedules, security procedures and access to specific areas can change, check the UN visitor website before making a special trip.
2. A MANHATTAN SYNAGOGUE BUILT WITH JERUSALEM STONE
11 East 63rd Street, Upper East Side, Manhattan
Walk along East 63rd Street and you can literally encounter Jerusalem in the architecture.
The interior and exterior façade of the Edmond J. Safra Synagogue are made with Jerusalem limestone quarried in the Judean Hills, bringing stone from Israel into the heart of Manhattan.
The synagogue's massive bronze entrance doors feature a dramatic Tree of Life motif created by American artist and sculptor Mark Beard.
LOOK FOR: The pale Jerusalem stone covering the façade, then the enormous bronze Tree of Life doors at the entrance.
And the connection to Jerusalem does not stop outside. The Jerusalem stone continues into the interior of the synagogue.
VISITOR NOTE: This is an active house of worship, not a tourist attraction. The exterior can be admired from the street. If you would like to see the interior, check the synagogue's current services and programs before visiting.
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3. JERUSALEM STONE + AN OLIVE TREE
LINCOLN SQUARE SYNAGOGUE
180 Amsterdam Avenue, Upper West Side, Manhattan
Office Hours: Monday through Thursday, 9 AM to 5 PM; Friday, 9 AM to 1 PM
Inside the sanctuary is a striking Torah ark created from cedar of Lebanon, Jerusalem stone and welded bronze shaped into an olive tree.
LOOK FOR: The Jerusalem stone surrounding the ark and the sculptural bronze olive tree.
VISITOR NOTE: This is an active Orthodox synagogue. Check its schedule or contact the office before visiting.
5. BUILD YOUR OWN ISRAELI SNACK BAG @ TOMER'S GOURMET MARKET
Kosher grocery store
1201 Lexington Avenue, Upper East Side, Manhattan
Hours: Sunday through Wednesday, 8 AM to 6 PM; Thursday, 8 AM to 7:30 PM; Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM; closed Saturday
This is a fun one because you do not need a reservation or an elaborate meal.
Walk into this Upper East Side kosher market and browse the Israeli and Mediterranean specialties, prepared foods, fresh pita, bourekas and imported products.
THE CHALLENGE: Build yourself an Israeli snack bag.
LOOK FOR: Bamba, Bisli, Israeli chocolate, tahini, halva, cookies and anything else you have never tried before.
Buy a few. Take them home. Have a taste test. Share with friends.
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7. TASTE MODERN TEL AVIV @ 19 CLEVELAND
19 Cleveland Place, Nolita, Manhattan
19 Cleveland approaches contemporary Mediterranean food through the international influences that have shaped the region's cooking.
The menu features shakshuka, hummus, labaneh, falafel and other Mediterranean flavors.
DON'T MISS: The Jerusalem-style Bourekas Benedict, a creative take on a breakfast classic that brings Israeli flavors to the table.
9. TAKE A LITTLE ISRAELI ART HOME @
MICHAL GOLAN STUDIO STORE
409 West 44th Street, Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan
Hours: Monday through Friday, 11 AM to 5 PM; other times by appointment
Born in Haifa, Israel, artist and jewelry designer Michal Golan came to the United States in her twenties to study art and launched her jewelry business in 1982.
Her work is still handmade by a small team in her Manhattan studio.
The studio store sells jewelry, Judaica, hamsas, evil eyes, mezuzahs, menorahs and ceramics.
Unlike some of the architectural discoveries on this page, this is one you can actually take home with you.
LOOK FOR: Hamsas, mezuzahs, Judaica and colorful mosaic-inspired pieces.
INSIDER NOTE: The studio recommends calling before visiting to make sure someone hasn't stepped out.
4. LOOK BEHIND THE GARDEN
MARLENE MEYERSON JCC MANHATTAN
334 Amsterdam Avenue at West 76th Street, Upper West Side, Manhattan
General Information Hours: Monday through Thursday, 9 AM to 5 PM; Friday, 9 AM to 4 PM; Sunday, 10 AM to 5 PM; closed Saturday
Look up when you enter.
Artist Michael Singer's Vertical Welcoming Garden rises approximately 40 feet through the building's entrance.
Behind the suspended garden is a multistory field of Jerusalem stone.
It is exactly the sort of thing you could walk past without ever realizing what you were looking at.
6. EAT A YEMENITE ISRAELI WEEKEND BREAKFAST @ 12 CHAIRS CAFE
56 MacDougal Street, SoHo, Manhattan
342 Wythe Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
This Yemenite Jewish dish became part of Israeli weekend eating. Rolled dough is traditionally cooked slowly overnight and served with accompaniments such as hard-boiled egg and crushed tomato.
TRY: Jachnun.
8. TASTE AN ISRAELI CHEF'S MOROCCAN ROOTS @ FRENA
Middle Eastern restaurant
773 10th Avenue, Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan
Frena is built around modern Middle Eastern cooking and its large taboon oven.
TRY: Start with the Frena bread and dips, then explore the menu from there.
This is another side of Israeli food worth exploring: culinary traditions brought to Israel by Jewish communities from across the Middle East and North Africa and transformed through generations of migration, exchange and modern Israeli cooking.
LOOK FOR: The huge oven at the center of the restaurant's cooking.
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AND THEN REVERSE THE JOURNEY
10. FIND NEW YORK IN JERUSALEM
9/11 LIVING MEMORIAL PLAZA
Arazim Valley, Jerusalem, Israel
The relationship goes both ways. Outside Jerusalem stands the 9/11 Living Memorial Plaza, created to honor the victims of the September 11 attacks. At the base of the memorial is actual metal recovered from the wreckage of the World Trade Center, sent to Israel by the City of New York specifically to become part of the memorial. Surrounding the monument are plaques bearing the names of the victims of September 11, including five Israeli citizens. So pieces of Jerusalem traveled to New York. And a piece of New York traveled to Jerusalem.
So pieces of Jerusalem traveled to New York. And a piece of New York traveled to Jerusalem.
Jerusalem in New York. New York in Jerusalem.